T he G Gu uid id W e e's rit to ing
the About Author
I learned to write from school, obviously. But I feel like I truly learned how to effectively express myself and my ideas by writing in middle school, when I first started to learn about the different kinds of essay (persuasive, informative, etc.). This is where I really saw myself getting creative, writing things in a tone that would almost seem like I'd be having a somewhat casual conversation with someone. Being in this class, however, has given some really important guidelines to follow for writing. I experienced trouble in my 9th grade English class because my teacher expected us to know a ton of specific punctuation and essay structure fundamentals that we never were aware of. With this book of writing, I now have everything I need to know to write at a college level. Hopefully, whoever reads this can utilize the knowledge in this book as My name is Pablo Zidane Moguel Guerrero. well.
I'm a student at Francisco Bravo Medical Magnet and this is my first semester project. The reason I chose terraria and its mods as the theme for my book is because during the pandemic, I fell in love with the game. I played it with a friend day after day and never got bored. One of my absolute favorite mods is Calamity, a content mod that adds tons of new items, weapons, accessories, bosses, and post-moon lord content. It recently received an update, the Draedon update, that added a new grouped boss battle against Draedon’s most recent creations. I'm currently playing through this update on a new challenge difficulty, it's pretty hard.
My first ever Terraria Chacater, MageMan!
Intro
The reason I chose to theme this book on Terraria is because I love the game. It combines survival and rpg aspects and I really like that. Its very flexible in terms of difficulty, meaning it could go from being trivial to being very challenging. The variety of weapons and accessories allow for all different kinds of gameplay. For example, the melee class primarily uses swords, yoyo’s, and boomerangs to defeat foes. But you can challenge yourself by sticking to only one kind of weapon, say a yoyo only run or a flail only run (which I did and it was very painful). The bossfights are also always very fun, the majority of them being somewhat of a bullet hell, and requiring some fancy movement to dodge But what has to be the best part of Terraria is its modding community. There is so much love and hard work poured into the mods, and it shows One of the mods that I play the most, Calamity, feels like a completely different game when compared to terraria. It adds a lot to the game, from bossfights to weapons. Its also got some good lore, but that isn't necessary. I played this game a ton during the pandemic and its one of the very few things that got me through it.
The reason im writing this book is to keep a guide to college level writing. This book provides an in-depth look to very fundamental things like punctuation. There are a wide array of important rules and details that I never knew up until now that improved my writing by a lot. Having a good writing skill is not only great for getting a good english grade, but it also says a lot about you. If you are able to express yourself and your ideas in an effective manner, not only will you persuade people, but they will also gain a general sense of who you are as a person.
Punctuation & Capitalization
Punctuation
Punctuation . {period, ends a sentence or abbreviates} , {comma has on function, the words in front and the back can switch places, a comma in an list to show there are no words of higher status, no word is more important than another} – {Em dash, Longer dash, length of an M, emphasizes things, can replace commas, parenthesis, colens, acts as an “arrow” of sorts} - {En dash, length of an N, used to hyphenate words} : {Colon, used for definitions, examples, lists, whatever comes out of an colon is directly related to what was said before} ; {semicolon, connects multiple independent clauses, whatever is in front needs to be an independent clause, and what's after needs to be a different yet related independent clause} ? {Used in interrogative sentences, only question marks can end an interrogative sentence} ! {Used in exclamatory sentences, only exclamation points can end exclamatory sentences} ‘ {Used to remove things in pronunciation, used in punctuation to signify ownership/possession, also used in contraction, quote marks, single quote used in the body of a larger quotation} “ ” {indicates text coming from someone or somewhere else} … ellipsis, indicates that something is unsaid [ ] {to change something in an quote, or to indicate you inserted something} ( ) {Indicates something parenthetical, meaning its something factual or informative, but it's not necessary grammatically} / {Backslash, indicates an choice} EX: Comma (used to switch words around in a list) – Students at Bravo can freely choose between AP World History, AP US History, AP Government, and AP European History.
Capitalization Rules: Capitalize the first word of a sentence Capitalize names and other pronouns Capitalize proper nouns Capitalize initials Capitalize Months Capitalize Acronyms
Examples
The theme of my book is Terraria, a survival game, and its many mods. Eye of Cthulhu is the second boss you fight in Terraria, although it can optionally be your first. The Sulphurous Sea is a biome in Terraria, added by the Calamity mod I originally started playing Terraria some time in September of 2020 The S.D.M.G stands for Space Dolphin Machine Gun; the Space Dolphin Machine Gun is a ranged weapon from Moon Lord
Parts of Speech
Nouns
Types of nouns: (list three to five words of each type) · Common Nouns: name a class of people, places, things, or ideas. EX: Dungeon, Ocean, Jungle, Sword, Axe · Proper Nouns: give the name or title of a particular person, place, thing, or idea (must be capitalized). EX: Yharim, Crabulon, Mutant, Skeletron, Astrum Areus · Compound Nouns: consist of words used together to form a single noun. EX: Hellforge, Bookshelf, Waterbolt, Graveyard, Underground · Concrete Nouns: refer to material things, to people, or to places. EX: Gold, Chlorophyte, Mythrill, Cosmolite, Victide · Abstract Nouns: name ideas, qualities, concepts, emotions, or attitudes. EX: Lament, Grief, Carnage, Pain, Joy
Functions (How nouns are used):
Write one sentence for each function.
· Subject (comes before the verb) The Mood Lord was defeated swiftly due to the team’s overpreperation
· Direct Object (comes after the verb and answers what or whom) Yharim struck a deal with the Devourer of Gods after changing his mind on killing the beast
· Indirect Object (answers to who or to whom) The arms dealer gave the minishark to the Terrarian
Pronouns Reflexive: (personal pronouns plus the Pronouns take the place of nouns that suffix –self or –selves) have been established. Used only: Personal: when the action verb is directed toward Nominative (subjects) Objective the subject of the construction: (objects) Yharim is still disgusted at himself for I/we me/us the damage he caused to what used to you/you you/you be the ocean, now just an uninhabitable He, she, it, one/they him, her, it, sulfurous sea one/them Ex: Calamitas has even begun to distrust Possessive herself as her curse and her emotions My, mine our, ours drive her mad. Your, yours your, yours to intensify a point: His, her, hers, its, one’s their, theirs Calamitas herself attacked and destroyed the underworld and its Relative: inhabitants Nominative Objective Possessive Demonstrative: who whom this, these that, those whose That that Indefinite: of that all, another, anybody, anyone, anything, those/ this both, each, either, everybody, everyone,
Interrogative: who, which, what, whatever, whoever
everything, everywhere, few, many, much, neither, nobody, none, no one, nothing, one, other, several, somebody, someone, such.
Verbs
Voice: Voice is the form of the verb that indicates how it relates or interacts with the action. The English language has two voices: ACTIVE and Tense: verbs indicate time via tenses: PASSIVE. Active: You get chills down simple past your spine... past Passive: A chill goes down past perfect you spine... past progressive Verbals: (VERB FORMS NOT USED simple present present AS VERBS) present perfect Gerund: word ending in “ing” used as a present progressive noun. present perfect progressive · The astrum deus is slowly spreading future the astral infection future perfect Participle: word ending in “ing” or “ed” used as an adjective Types: There are at least eleven (11) types of · The bouncing bomb is useful for verbs: destroying things from afar while still auxiliary verbs (helping verbs) linking verbs (verbs that do not describe having some control over where it goes. action, but connect the subject of a sentence · As you stare beyond the horizon of to other parts of the sentence – usually the the sulfurous seas, you think of its predicate) wasted shores, and wonder why it had lexical verbs (main verbs) to come to this. dynamic verbs (indicate action)
stative verbs (describe a condition)
finitive verbs (indicate tense) Infinitive: verb preceded by the word nonfinitive verbs (infinitives or participles) “to” (to go, to jump) used as nouns, regular verbs (weak verbs) adjectives, or adverbs irregular verbs (strong verbs) transitive verbs (verbs followed by a direct · As the wall creepers slowly gained on object) her, the hair stylist knew it was time to intransitive verbs (verbs that do not take escape the web-infested caves. direct objects)
VERBS Verbs show the time, action, and state of being of a subject.
Adverbs, Adjectives, and Conjugations
ADVERBS Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. · Endings –ly, -wards, -wise ADJECTIVES Adjectives modify, describe, limit, and The Guide fearfully ran from the zombies at night identify nouns and pronouns. “He would first return after outrunning the · Kinds: Demonstrative, Common, Proper night’s creatures, then afterwards he would Demonstrative: “These accessories are pour himself a mug of ale” - said the dryad after being asked about the barkeep very powerful” - said the merchant Common: Fearful of the creatures that The wall of flesh can't just stop guarding the underworld, otherwise the spirits of light and lurk in the jungle’s temple, you drink a few dark would be released! potions to support your journey. · Conversions Proper: Terrarian npcs reside in your Fearful Fearfully After Afterwards town, eager to sell their goods and Other Otherwise services. · Types: CONJUNCTIONS
Manner, Frequency, Degree, Place, Time
→ → →
Coordinating (FANBOYS): for, and, Example Types: (Create one example each related nor, but, or, yet, so to your subject) Correlative: Either/or; neither/nor; Manner – The devourer of Gods handled anyone not only/but also; both/and; who opposed him swiftly (How did he handle them?) whether/or; as/so Time – Impending doom does not approach Subordinate: after, though as, as if, immediately as long as, as thought, because, (When will it arrive?) before, if, in order that, provided Place – The souls tortured by Yharim maliciously reside in the depths of the dungeon that, since, so, so that, that, (Where are they?) though, till, unless, when, where, Degree – Plaguebringer Goliath and the Plaguebringers are exceptionally good at whereas, while annihilating entire civilizations with a single swift Relative pronouns: who (refers to barrage of their vile plague missiles people), which (refers to nonliving (How good are they) object or animals), that (may refer Frequency – Astrum Deus was constantly spreading the astral infection as its host (how to animals or nonliving objects) often was it spreading it?)
Prepositions Prepositions link nouns, pronouns, and phrases to other parts of the sentence. Prepositions are NEVER followed by verbs. There are one-word prepositions and complex prepositions. These are some common one-word prepositions: aboard, about, above, according to, across, across from, after, against, along, alongside, alongside of, along with, amid, among, apart from, around, as, as far as, aside from, at, away from, back of, because of, before, behind, below, beneath, beside, between, beyond, but (except), by, by means of, concerning, despite, down, down from, except, except excluding for, for, from, from among, from between, from under, in, in addition to, in behalf of, including, in front of, in place of, in regard to, inside, inside of, in spite of, instead of, into, like, near, near to, notwithstanding, of, off, on, on account of, on behalf of, onto, on top of, opposite, out, out of, outside, outside of, over, over to, owing to, past, prior to, to, toward, under, underneath, until, unto, up, upon, up to, versus, with, within, without.
Interjections
Interjections are the final part of speech. Ex: equally important first, second finally, last Comparison just as ... so too a similar another... like similarly comparable in the same way likewise Contrast but yet and yet still otherwise or though but another rather however still nevertheless on the other hand on the contrary even so notwithstanding for all that in contrast alternatively at the same time though this may be otherwise instead nonetheless conversely Time
Phrases and clauses
Phrases – groups of words that function as a part of speech.
Phra
Noun Phrase: A group of words consisting of nouns or pronouns and their modifiers that function as a noun. Ex: Most of the underground caverns contain ores, pots, and a chest or two. Verb Phrase: A group of words consisting of verbs working together and that function as a verb. Ex: The demolitionist knew he should’ve been stocking up on explosives last night. Prepositional Phrase: A group of words that begins with a preposition and ends with a noun, and functions as an adjective or an adverb. Ex: After being rescued from the depths of the caverns, the wizard was welcomed into the town. Appositive Phrase: A group of words that include all the words that modify an appositive and function as an adjective - IT MUST BE SURROUNDED BY COMMAS. Ex:The ravager, an abomination constructed with twisted necromancy, immediately killed its creators the moment it was built. Verbal Phrases: A group of words that begin with a verbal and ends with a noun. Gerund Phrase verb ending in -ing that functions as a noun. Ex: Breaking through the thick dirt, the terrarian finally caught a glimpse of the glowing green Chlorophyte Ex: Participial Phrase word ending in -ing (present participle) or -ed (past participle) that functions as an adjective. Ex: Without his presence, Draedon’s research facilities scattered around the land soon became abandoned labs. Infinitive Phrase verb preceded by the word “to” (to read, to study, to write) that function as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs. Ex: After acquiring the different swords of the land, the terrarian knew he had enough to craft the Night’s Edge
Ses
Clauses
Clauses – groups of words with BOTH a subject and a verb that function as parts of speech. There are TWO kinds: Independent and Dependent (called “Subordinate”)
INDEPENDENT – CAN stand alone as a complete sentence, known as a simple sentence pattern. The dungeon requires Skeletron to be defeated before entry. DEPENDENT (SUBORDINATE) – CANNOT stand alone as a complete sentence and MUST begin with a SUBORDINATE CONJUNCTION. There are seven (7) kinds:
Noun Clause: Used as the noun in a sentence and may function as a subject, a predicate noun, a direct object, an object of a preposition, an indirect object, or an appositive. Where and how he grew up firmly made Yharim who he is. Whatever creatures lie in the abyssal depths should remain down there, for all our sakes That the Plaguebringer Goliath was slain doesn't make the jungle any safer, obviously. Draedon collected the scraps of his latest failed creation to see what he had left to work with. Adjective Clause: Used to modify a noun in an independent clause. Some adjective clauses begin with an introductory word: This, a tale of a cruel world where death and destruction are far from abnormal, and where only something beyond a god could save mankind. (“where” is an introductory word) There's the vanity item that I totally needed for this fight. The item that you wanted was only available in Revengance or higher Some adjective clauses begin with relative pronouns: Olivia is obviously the one who got the most votes. (ONE is the antecedent of WHO and is modified by the adjective clause.) There goes the teacher whose class is usually biology. (TEACHER is the antecedent of whose and is modified by the adjective clause.) Science class informatively teaches how relative humidity is the amount of water vapor that the air contains. Is this the book that you so vehemently want? (that is the direct object of want) Tina is the player whom he shyly challenged to a duel. (whom is the direct object of challenged.) The recommendation letter to which you refer has sadly been lost. (which is the object of the preposition to.) Hector is an athlete who easily shrugs off criticism. (who is the subject of shrugs.) Adverb Clause: Used to modify verbs, adjectives, and adverbs in an independent clause, introduced by a subordinate conjunction and used to indicate time, place, cause, purpose, result, condition, and/or concession. Modifying verbs: They unfortunately put the bus sign where a few could see it. (place) When the bell finally rang, everyone left. (time) We sluggishly left the library because we were tired. (purpose) The ASB president talked as if she were passionately running for re-election. (condition) Modifying adjectives: Spring semester coldly seems twice as long as it used to be. (how much) Mr. Russell is as amusingly funny as his students. (to what extent) Modifying adverbs: Suzy studied harder than her sisters typically did. (condition) Relative Clauses: Dependent clause that begins with a relative pronoun. The mechanical boss that goes first is up to chance or choice. Elliptical Clauses: Adverb clauses in which part of the clause is omitted. When diving, it is important to not disturb the Adult Eidolon worm. Essential Clauses: Clauses necessary to the meaning of the sentence. A most important accessory to greatly diminish the effects of calamitas’ brimstone attacks is the astral arcanum. Nonessential Clauses: Clauses that are NOT necessary to the meaning of the sentence. The jungle temple, which was constructed many years ago, is still inhabited by the Lihzard people.
Sentences
Sentence – a set of words that contains a subject and a predicate and conveys a statement, command, question, or an exclamation. Sentence Parts
Subject – what/who the sentence is about The World Difficulty has been set to expert Predicate – what the subject does The World Difficulty has been set to expert. Sentence Types
Declarative – a sentence that makes a statement (ends with a period mark) Restricting yourself to certain weapons or classes can add a twist to any Terraria playthrough. Imperative – a sentence that makes a command (ends with a period mark) Play Terraria now. Interrogative – a sentence that asks a question (ends with a question mark) Why exactly have you not played Terraria? Exclamatory – a sentence that expresses great emotion, passion, excitement (ends with an exclamation mark) Good lord man, play Terraria!
Sentence Patterns Simple Sentence: A sentence that is just one independent clause. The barkeep decided to move underground. Compound Sentence: A sentence with multiple independent clauses, but no dependent clauses - connected by FANBOYS (coordinating conjunctions) or a semicolon (;). The barkeep decided to move underground, he didn't like the forest. Complex Sentence: A sentence with one independent clause and at least one dependent clause. When you over prepare for a boss, the fight will be exponentially easier. Complex-Compound Sentence: A sentence with multiple independent clauses and at least one dependent clause. Whether you over prepare for a boss or not, you will eventually learn how to dodge the attacks, and they will fall. Loose Sentence: A sentence that contains an independent clause plus a subordinate construction (either a clause or phrase) with your main point at the beginning. Topping out your health bar with fruit is great, no matter how dangerous the jungle is nor how long it will take. Periodic Sentence: A sentence in which the independent clause is given at the end of the sentence in order to create interest or generate suspense with the main point coming at the end. No matter how dangerous the jungle is or how long it will take, topping out your health bar with life fruit is great. Parallel Structure: A sentence using the same pattern of two or more verbs or ideas that match in tense or structure to show that they are of equal importance and to help the reader comprehend what is being written - this sentence requires symmetry. The queen bee tends to be very elusive due to how the beehives spawn, difficult for newer players because of her rapid dash attacks, and unwanted because of any little disturbance to her precious larva summoning her.
Balanced Sentence: A sentence where phrases or clauses at the beginning and the end parallel each other by virtue of their likeness of structure, meaning, or length - this sentence requires symmetry. The corruption and crimson spread malice and impurity while the hallow spreads miracles and joy. Chiasmus: A sentence that includes a repetition of ideas (words, phrases, or clauses) in inverted (reversed) order - this sentence requires symmetry. Spazmitizm and Retinizer go hand and hand, and there would be no twins without them Asyndeton: A sentence that leaves out conjunctions between words, phrases, or clauses for a rhetorical purpose. Golem battle are typically easy, cheesable, and quite profitable Polysyndeton: A sentence that uses multiple conjunctions in close proximity to each other between words, phrases, or clauses for a rhetorical purpose. Moon lord’s battle consists of many projectiles and large and powerful laser attacks, but overall tests the player’s skill to dodge. Anaphora: A sentence that features the purposeful repetition of a word, words, or a phrase at the beginning of several successive clauses in order to place emphasis and draw attention. For many people, master mode is pure agony, for other people, it brings a new fun challenge into the game, but most will agree that master mode is for masters. Epistrophe: A sentence featuring several phrases or clauses ending with the same word or words. Terraria players so often find themselves grinding for items, crafting items, efficiently farming items, it is as if the entire game revolved around items. Sentence Errors Run-On/Rambling/Fused Sentence – a sentence construction error where two or more independent clauses are connected incorrectly without punctuation. No you are doing the skeletron fight wrong you have to build the arena like this not like that plus you didn't even bother placing heart lanterns and campfires. [WRONG] No, you are doing the skeletron fight wrong BECAUSE you have to build the arena like this, not like that. [RIGHT] Comma Splice – a sentence construction error where two or more independent clauses are connected incorrectly using commas No you are doing the skeletron fight wrong, you have to build the arena like this, not like this, plus you didn't even bother placing heart lanterns and campfires. [WRONG] No, you are doing the skeletron fight wrong. You have to build the arena like this, not like that. Plus— you didn't even bother placing heart lanterns and campfires. [RIGHT]
Fragment – incomplete sentence pieces that are not connected to or do not form an independent clause You have to build the arena [WRONG] You have to build the arena like this, not like that. [RIGHT] Misplaced/Dangling Modifiers – modifiers are words, phrases, or clauses that add description; a misplaced modifier describes the wrong part of a sentence and a dangling modifier is missing the part it’s supposed to modify In the jungle, the trapper angry lingered closer ever to the player [WRONG] In the jungle, the angry trapper lingered ever closer to the player [RIGHT] Double Negative – combining two or more negative words in a sentence in a way that is supposed to produce a positive force The player knew it wouldn’t do them no good making a huge farm for a relatively common item [WRONG] The player knew it wouldn't do them any good to make a huge farm for a relatively common item . [RIGHT]
Paragraphs
A group of sentences that together convey a shared purpose structured around the same topic.
Introductory Paragraphs Hook (Lead / Opening Statement) – can begin with the title Anecdotal (Brief story to set the mood and lead the reader into the topic) Ex. These sacred lands… Here where life prospers… Where the creativity of humankind shines above all sentience… They had not seen such forgiveness and mercy before. In an era lost in time and memory, wars were waged against humanity, monstrosities, and gods. These lands had suffered great losses, along with their inhabitants. Even now, one can hear the countless soldiers pleading for their life… Others begging for the warm embrace of death. Creatures once thought to be mere obstacles evolved into beasts with unbelievable power and force. This was the era when millions died fighting for what they believed in. This was the age in which feral, rouge monstrosities ravaged the world. This was the time where gods either abandoned or struck those who had faith in them. This was the moment in which Calamity reigned supreme. -”The Tale of a Cruel World” Query Based (Question that brings the reader to the topic - avoid second person POV “you”) Ex. What exactly is the tale of a cruel world Thesis Statements (the purpose of a piece of writing – usually one sentence in length, but can be longer depending on the purpose – must be something that is arguable) Assertion (claim - a subject + a “so what” about the subject) Ex. Yharim is a cruel tyrant and he must be stopped. Fact (empirically verifiable but often difficult to argue extensively about - better used as evidence to support a claim) Ex. Yharim originated from the jungle. Opinion (personal position on a topic) Ex. Yharim smells. Belief (social, religious, or political in nature – an opinion held by many to be a fact, though it is not necessarily factual – often involves a judgement) Ex. Committing mass genocide for absolute controll of the underworld was beyond incorrect. Generalization (uses absolute or statistical pronouns: all, always, every, never, none, most, half – avoid using this type of thesis statement unless citing the source of the data) Ex. Everyone that died in the bloody wars during Yharim’s rise to power did not need to die Document Based (cites a specific source, author, and position on a topic) Ex. In The Guide’s Guide to Writing, The Author states that phrases are groups of words that function as a part of speech. Theory (a statement that can be tested and potentially proven - often answers a research question) Ex. The plague can be eradicated from the jungle, if extensive decontamination is done. Clarification/Expansion of Thesis (could extend the thesis, preview the evidence supporting the thesis, give the purpose of thesis, establish the importance or significance of examining the intricacies of the thesis – this could be several sentences long) Ex. Yharim’s cruel tyranny can be exhibited simply by those he slaughtered. He killed millions just to claim the throne, and for those who were captured awaited a fate worse than death. They were to be tortured in the dungeons until they died, and when the dungeons filled, Yharim disposed of the dead in the ocean until the waters became sulphuric and uninhabitable from the decomposing corpses. Ex. The author covers the specific atrocities committed by the tyrant in order to prove their point Ex. Spreading awareness of the tyrant’s misdeads may sway more people into an uprising
Body Paragraphs
(must have echoes of the thesis in each AND present evidence to support or expand on the thesis)
Topic Sentences (must specifically indicate the topic of the paragraph and focus on one subject and/or area of evidence or support – could start with a “Transition of Logic” that connects to the previous paragraph to give context) Ex. Additionally, it has been proven that Yharim does not care about those he slaughters. (Now every sentence in this paragraph must be related to the connection between fast food and health) Presenting Evidence from Quotations (quotes should NEVER be used as individual sentences – quotes should be embedded within sentences) ORIGINAL QUOTE – “Yharim is a cruel tyrant and must be stopped” (Unknown 73). Ex. Several insurgency groups agree “Yharim is a cruel tyrant and must be stopped” (Unknown 73) Ex. “Yharim is a cruel tyrant and must be stopped” (Unknown 73), according to many insurgents Ex. For those who are unaware, “Yharim is a cruel tyrant and must be stopped” (Unknown 73), according to many insurgents Ex. For those who are unaware, “Yharim is a [terribly] cruel tyrant and must be stopped” (Unknown 73), according to many insurgents Ex. For those who are unaware, “Yharim [was] a [terribly] cruel tyrant and must be stopped” (Unknown 73), according to many insurgents Examining the Evidence Paraphrasing (rewording of a quote into other words of the same length without quotation marks, but still citing the source - useful for examining the quote and transitioning to your analysis of the quote) ORIGINAL QUOTE – “Yharim is a cruel tyrant and must be stopped” (Unknown 73). Ex. PARAPHRASE – Yharim is a cruel overlord that cannot continue to ravage the earth (Unknown 73). Summarizing (condensing larger quotes or sections - useful for closing the examination of the quote/evidence and transitioning to your analysis of the quote) ORIGINAL QUOTE – “Yharim is a cruel tyrant and must be stopped” (Unknown 73). Ex. SUMMARY – Yharim is considered a cruel tyrant Abstract Examples (hypothetical, “what if” examples that do not refer to a source – AVOID USING THEM AS EVIDENCE – but useful for examining the quote) Ex. People may finally be able to live in peace if the tyrant is removed Concrete Examples (actual examples that do refer to a source – useful for enhancing your analysis of the quote) Ex. An analytical review of one of Yharim’s bloodiest wars revealed that 67% of opposing troops were slaughtered and the remaining were sent to the dungeon to be tortured. None of the insurgents returned that day and Yharim’s army only suffered casualties in the hundreds Closing Sentences (must end the discussion of the topic within the paragraph with a transitional or culminating word – possibly an adverb – and should echo the thesis of the essay) Ex. The majority of insurgents strongly agree that Yharim should rule no longer
(Conclusions – should not be mere summaries of the previous paragraphs of your essay)
Closing Paragraphs
Consequences of Disregarding the Thesis (establishing the potential consequences of disregarding the implications of the thesis – CREATING A COUNTERARGUMENT – could be one or more sentences) Ex. If Yharim weren’t truly cruel, those who fought wars against him would still live to tell the tale Statement(s) of Extension (extending the consequences of disregarding the implications of the thesis – could be one or more sentences) Ex. The suffering of many seems to be closely intertwined with Yharim’s tyranical rule Reestablishing the Significance of the Thesis (could be one or more sentences) Ex. Thus, as many people resonate, leaving Yharim to do whatever he pleases will not only result in the loss of human life, but possibly the loss of this world Final Sentence (closing statement that connects to the hook and finishes the essay (finish your argument) – the “Smoky the Bear”/”Drop the mic”/dot dot dot moment…) Ex. So given Yharim’s countless atrocities, perhaps its time that a new hero arises, and surpasses the strength of even gods….
Essays
Essays – An essay is any paper written about something. There are usually 5 paragraphs to 2 pages in length (they can be as long as the author wishes them to be) and their main purpose is to try and get the author's point across. They are almost always about a non-fiction real world topic, and will either try to inform, persuade, or report something to the reader. Types – Persuasive: Usually employs redirect to try and persuade readers to agree with an author's viewpoint, or at least inform them of a contradictory/secondary opinion Expository: Explains a topic in a factual and informative way, while still having a narrative feel to it. It doesn't blandly blurt out the information like a research essay but rather explains whats going on and what the effects of the topic are. Analytical/Critical: Usually a response to a source of information, these essays tend to try and find out if a source is credible or not. They can also be used to critique something. Narrative: This type of essay is for stories. They can be fictional or true stories, but they use storytelling elements and are usually for entertainment rather than information Research: Purely for information. Usually associated with lab reports and experiments, these are concise and informational, usually the kind of thing found in textbooks Timed: These are writings that have a time constraint on them, and will usually be found in tests. These require an analysis of a source, and are usually a response to a question provided about the text. Persuasive (Argumentative) Expository (Informative) Definition or Description Process (How-to) Compare and Contrast Cause and Effect Analytical/Critical Evaluative Interpretive Narrative (Tells a story) Personal Statement/Anecdote Research Timed Document Based Question (DBQ)
Strategies Strategies/Planning Tips/Steps – Firstly, know what kind of essay you will be writing. That decision should be already made before anything else. Secondly, find a way to structure the essay. This could be by having a structure provided to you or creating your own/modifying an existing structure to fit what information you are trying to convey. After that, try to determine paragraph structure and the paragraphs. What will you put in your introduction? Where will your thesis go? What body paragraphs should hold what information to keep a consistent flow throughout your writing? Make sure to note these things down somewhere or even make a graphic showing the structure of your essay. Then: start writing. It's best to knock out as much as possible in one go, since in most cases a rhythm forms and you can snowball effect your way through the whole thing. Stopping during writing may cause a good argument or idea to slip your mind by the time you continue writing again. If you have to stop, quickly jot down the idea somewhere so you don't lose it. After writing, self proofread. Check for spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, and sentence structure. If something seems off but you can't decide if you should change it or not, have someone else check it and make suggestions/correct mistakes. Lastly if your paper requires a works cited page, make sure to use whichever one is required for the assignment. And even if you're making an essay for the fun of it, always include works cited when outside sources are used. Plagiarism is a big no no.
Works Cited
Work Cited Page – Before working on a works cited page and even before working on an essay, please make sure that the sources are actually reliable. Usually .gov, .org, and .edu websites are the most reliable, as these are official sources. Both formats include the author of the work, the name of the work, date published, publisher, exact page number and sometimes sentence, and for websites a link to the article. MLA is more detailed, having the author, article name, date, publisher, exact page and sometimes sentence, and link to the article. The author name is last, first, and the article doesnt have any change to it. APA format only requires the name of the article, author, publisher, page number, and link to the article. The author name is first, last, and the article title is in italics.
d l u o w u o y d i a s u o y t h g I thou . . . s e s s o b d e d d o m include
"Ranger Rob"
"Flail only"
! d n E e h T
"Dr. Funnyman (and a friend)"